Alex Palou has won the 2025 Indianapolis 500 under caution following a frantic race capped with a late pass for the lead on Marcus Ericsson.
The three-time reigning IndyCar champion had remarkably never won on an Oval, but moved into the lead with 14 laps of the 200 remaining with a brave pass into Turn 1 on ex-F1 driver and 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson.
Chip Ganassi's Palou stopped for the final time on Lap 168, with Ericsson stopping seven laps later, emerging just ahead and using back-marker traffic to stay ahead.
However, through the traffic, Palou jumped a devastated Ericsson to hand Palou the lead, which was cemented when a caution flew on the final lap, bringing the race to an early end.
Josef Newgarden's bid for history from 32nd on the 33rd car grid for a third straight win was denied by fuel pressure problems as Scott McLaughlin crashed on the formation lap whilst Scott Dixon's race was punctuated by brake issues.
Kyle Larson crashed out on Lap 93 and is already en route to Charlotte for the NASCAR Coke 600.
The report continues below, with the full results below.
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The start was actually delayed due to a brief rain shower, with McLaughlin crashing on the pit-straight whilst warming his tyres.
Once it passed, the caution flags flew immediately on the first racing lap, as Marco Andretti, the grandson of Mario continued the curse and crashed out.
By a Lap 19 caution for more rain, Palou was running sixth behind Takuma Sato, Alexander Rossi, Robert Shwartzman, and Ericsson and was maintaining position in the top 10 through a caution-heavy first half of the season, placing fourth by Lap 50 - quarter distance.
32 laps later, Palou was in the net lead after Sato blew his chances of a third 500 by running long in his pit-box, and engaged the racey Conor Daly and the Ed Carpenter fleet in a game of leapfrog on fuel strategy.
At three-quarter distance, Palou was running third with just a single fuel stop remaining as the race settled down into green-flag running, diving in for the final time for fuel and tyres on Lap 168.
Ericcson stayed out for seven further laps to build a fresh tyre and fuel upset, and emerged ahead of the Ganassi driver, but a bold move at Turn 1 allowed Palou to slip through.
Although Ericsson gave valiant chase, Palou held on to become the 76th driver to win the Indy 500, the first Spanish driver, and the first Ganassi driver since Ericsson himself in 2022.
It is Palou's fifth win from six races to start the season, locking him in as the championship favourite.
Elsewhere, McLaren's Pato O'Ward was fourth as he failed to make history by winning the 500 on the same day Lando Norris won the Monaco GP for the F1 team. No team has ever won the two races on the same day.
Four-time winner Helio Castroneves was 13th, and Colton Herta was 17th.
2018 winner Will Power was not a factor as he took 19th for Penske, the only one of the captain's cars to finish.
Newgarden's bid to become the first driver to win three straight Indy 500s was undone by a fuel pressure problem on Lap 135, but he was a factor, having climbed into the top 10 on pure pace.
Dixon was a thrice-lapped 23rd and last.
As for Larson, he was not a factor in the race, and crashed on lap 93 after a restart, changing down gear accidentally as he spun, collecting Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb as he went.
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